Castoff
by Rocksalt Rifle
Summary: For once, it isn't Al bringing home the strays.... Fullmetal Alchemist/Supernatural fusion.


Castiel was in the middle of another lecture. Ed was only really half-listening at that point, when Castiel got going about the importance of all the, well, important shit Ed had started tuning him out. He did however, hear the strange sound that punctuated one of Castiel's sentences and turned a strange stare on the angel, who was standing in front of Roy's fridge.

"-did you just meow?" Ed asked in disbelief.

A confused, then slightly sheepish expression crossed the angel's face before it settled back into its usual mask. Ed's eyebrow hiked. "You are imagining things," Castiel scoffed.

Ed looked around the kitchen - it was possible he was imaging things, but the noise had been very distinct. He eyed Castiel, who found the tiled floor very interesting, and this time Ed pinpointed the meow. It came from Castiel.

From one of the over large pockets on the battered brown trench coat a tiny tortoise-shell head popped out, looking around the room with bright blue kitten eyes. Ed goggled at the kitten in Castiel's pocket, then looked at the angel in disbelief. "Cas," he said carefully. "Why is there a kitten in your pocket?"

"He was in a tree," Castiel said defensively, as if that explained how the kitten went from the tree to Castiel's pocket.

Ed propped his elbow on the table, put his face in his hand and laughed. Al, who had been in the other room and unaware of Castiel's presence, poked his head into the kitchen and started only slightly. "Ed, you worry me when you laugh like that," Al scolded.

"Cas has a kitten in his pocket," Ed choked out.

Al looked from Castiel to Ed and back again. "Is that some kind of weird euphemism, because that's just strange-" he started, when the kitten announced its presence loudly. Al stared at Castiel. "Do you really have a kitten in your pocket?"

"No, he's just happy to see you," Ed said, forehead pressed against his arm and shoulders shaking with mirth.

Confused, Castiel looked between Ed and Al. "Why would I be unhappy to see your brother?" he queried, and Al sighed, held out his hands.

"Cas, give me the kitten."

Castiel looked down at the kitten, who had both paws on the edge of the packet and was looking around contentedly, making no effort to escape. Then he looked up at Al. "Why?"

Al blinked. "It's ... not a good idea for a kitten to ride around in your pocket? I'm sure it needs a litter box and something to eat and is probably covered in fleas-"

"He has less parasites than Ed," Castiel informed him, and Al shot a look at Ed, who stopped laughing abruptly.

"I don't have any parasites," Ed said.

"And besides, he is quite content where he is at." Castiel put one hand on the kitten's head, and it started to purr immediately. Ed shook his head, finally sitting up and back in his chair.

"Cas," Ed said. "How are you going to feed it? And what are you going to do when he decides to take a dump in your coat?"

The angel's shoulders slumped for a moment. Al held out his hands again. "Give me the kitten, Cas, we'll figure out what to do with him."

Reluctantly, Castiel gently extracted the kitten from his pocket. It squirmed out of his arms and fled to his shoulder, where the tiny kitten stood on his shoulder and puffed up, growling at Al when Al extended a hand toward it. "Runt of the litter," Ed observed.

The kitten purred, bumped its head against Castiel's jaw and sat resolutely on his shoulder. "I named him Ed," Castiel informed Al.

Al covered his eyes with one hand, shoulders shaking silently. Ed flailed in his seat. "You named him WHAT?"

"I... hear my phone," Al said, and fled, before he could start laughing out loud and earn Ed's wrath.

Ed covered his face with both hands. "My life can not get any weirder," he said out loud, and then uncovered his face. "That is not an invitation to try."

*

When Roy returned later that day, he found Castiel sitting in the easy chair, a kitten in his lap trying to grab at the dangling trench coat sleeve, Ed sprawled out on the couch and staring resolutely at the ceiling, and Al reading a book. "I feel like I've walked in to a bad sitcom setup," Roy murmured, hanging his coat.

Castiel looked up at Roy intently. "Will you keep and protect Ed for me?" he asked earnestly.

Roy blinked, that was unexpected. "I'm sorry, what?"

"The cat, Roy," Ed said without lifting his head.

"The cat's name is Ed?" Roy looked at Castiel quizzically.

"It is a good name," Castiel said mellowly. "It is a name that means much to me."

Ed lifted his head and stared at Castiel, ears red. "What the hell, Cas-"

Roy rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Castiel, I don't know if I can keep your ... cat," he said. "I'm not home a lot..."

"Oh." Castiel looked crestfallen, and Roy sighed. "I'll keep him until we can find a better home for him," he said. "How does that sound?"

"Until you find him a better home?" Al murmured.

The kitten looked over at Roy as if he knew, and purred. 


End file.
